Holidays = More Time to Exercise!

For a lot of folks, the holidays are a time to relax and eat a ton of food. I can be compassionate and understanding here. And usually I am. Not this time.

Most people are corpulent slackers.

No matter how much they complain about being busy and tired all the time, they spend a lot of their evenings and weekends on the couch. And they eat whatever the heck they want whenever they want. And for the vast majority of them, it shows (and I used "vast" as a double entendre there).

Don't worry, I used to be corpulent too.

Don't get me wrong. Most of us are totally burned out. Work, family, Fox News, and all the other bullshit in our lives just nukes our energy. But you know what recharges you and makes you feel awesome? Exercise!

I know, most people are thinking, "wait, I'm already exhausted. How in balls am I going to run or go to the gym?" These are the same people who are looking forward to a few days off work so they can sit on the couch, um, more, and eat more food, because it's the holidays and that's what "everyone" does so there's no guilt. Do you know what I'm going to do on the holidays? I'm going to exercise a ton, because I'll have plenty of time and sufficient sleep (for a change).

I'll also eat and rest, but there's plenty of time for that. It doesn't have to be the only thing I do. Considering that I squeeze every spare moment I have during the work week to lift and run, the holidays will feel luxurious. And because I already have a powerful routine of working out every day, it won't be hard to do it during the holiday break. If anything it'll be easier.

And even though I said that pigging out during the holidays is "guilt free", it's not really. A lot of these same sloths will then make a New Year's "resolution" to hit the gym, or the Pilates DVD, or that dusty gazelle in the corner, and to lose that holiday weight. 0% of these people will succeed.

You don't need motivation. You don't need energy. Many people believe they do, which is why they crap out after a couple of weeks into their resolution. It's why most folks don't exercise after work. They think they need motivation or energy or time or whatever. You don't need any of those things. Seriously.

You don't need motivation or energy. Just terror.

If your car breaks, it doesn't matter if you're the president's personal assistant. You will have no problem finding the "time" to go fix your car. If you get a call from the school that your kid has developed purple spots, it doesn't matter if you have a massive project deadline. That kid will be in your car in 15 minutes or less. You're not "motivated" to fix your car. You don't have the "energy" to deal with a sick kid. And you definitely don't have the "time" for either of those things.

And yet, magically, those things get done.

Exercise is like that. It's a thing that has to be done. So it gets done. The end.

The holidays aren't any different for me. There's nothing special about that time of the year. Well, actually, there is. I have more time in which to exercise. That's awesome. I have a baseline amount I exercise normally. 6 days of deadlifts per week. About 50 miles of running per week. Two upper body weight lifting sessions per week. About 20 miles of walking. And karate. Those are things I don't have a choice about doing, like going to work. But during the holidays, I'll have the time, energy, and motivation to do more than just what I "have" to do. Isn't that great?

Schedule today: Walk, lift, break bricks, run

You think I'm insane. Fine. Even fellow runners and lifters often think I'm insane. I'm not broken. I'm not filling a sad empty life with exercise (I have a lot of social engagements I have to juggle with my already full schedule). I'm not going to crack my body in half any second. I used to get injured all the time, when I exercised only sporadically. Now my body is made of steel and granite.

See? Social engagements. Ahem.

People who need a resolution or motivation to work out or eat healthy are going to fail. People who just want to do it are going to fail. People who impulse buy a special exercise program or pretty new sweat pants are going to fail. If exercise is anything less than something you have to do, you won't keep doing it.

That's just how it is. Humans are lazy. You will never want to work out. Your body will never give you extra energy. Your mind won't get suddenly motivated. This may seem defeating. But the fact is, you can start running, lifting, or doing whatever right now. You can just get up and do it. There is literally nothing stopping you except you.

And if you're a maniac like me, you're looking forward to the holiday break because it'll give you even more time in which to beat yourself up. Woo!

"Alright, you've got me psyched up. I'm just gonna go for it!"